Re: A style mandolins
Originally Posted by
sblock
At the low end of the market (under $800), you will likely get more bang for your buck with a PacRim (Asian-made) mandolin than one made in the U.S. This statement holds true regardless of whether you choose to buy a new or used instrument (but don't make the mistake of comparing used prices with new prices). Mandolins from Eastman, The Loar, Kentucky, J. Bovier, Gold Tone, Alvarez, are all PacRim, and can be had in your price range. The newer Breedloves are also PacRim instruments, since they moved the manufacture abroad. There are not that many budget instruments being made in the U.S. Also, you mentioned that you wanted an A-style, so the suggestions about Flatiron and Big Muddy flat tops seem rather off base to me, unless you want to consider other styles of mandolin.
You have to decide which is more important to you: getting an A-style with the best possible tone in your low-end price range, or buying from a U.S. manufacturer. You probably will not satisfy both.
Consider this: if you buy a used instrument from someone in the U.S., you are still "buying American" in the sense that your dollars are not directly supporting a foreign company (although you indirectly support their reputation). After all, the mandolin was already purchased from abroad. Furthermore, buying used will stretch your mandolin dollars a lot farther than buying new, so it's a win-win from that perspective.
Don't dismiss those Chinese workers so quickly. They have been making musical instruments for thousands of years, and although they are relatively new to making archtop mandolins, they are getting better, and some of them are really trying to do them as well as they can. Believe it or not they are not all $.50 an hour slaves, and some actually have some pride in their work. Sometimes you have to go through a few duds, but you can stumble across a gem occasionally.
We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams
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